Mechanism for making sheets.



No. 873,226. PATENTED DBG.10, 1907.- G. J. GERHARDTL MECHANISM FORMARKING SHEETS} APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 1907.

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MEGHANISM'FOR' MARKING SHEETS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 1907.

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'NO. 873,226. PATENTED DEG. 10, 1907.

G. J. GERHARDT. MECHANISM FOR MARKING SHEETS.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 4. 1907.

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WITNESSES:

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UNrrnn sra'rns rn'rnnr orrron GEORGE JOSEPH GERHARDT, OF STEUBENVILLE,OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES HOFFMAN, OF STEUBENVILLE, OHIO.

MECHANISM FOR MARKING SHEETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1907.

Application filed January 4. 1907- Serial No. 350,701.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE J OSEPH GER- HARDT, residing at Steubenville,in the county of Jefferson and State of Ohio, a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvementsin Mechanism for Marking Sheets, of which improvements the following isa specification.

In the manufacture of sheet metal, it is customary to reduce the sheetto the desired gage in lengths greater than those of the commercialsheets to be formed and of a width somewhat reater than the desiredwidth of the finished sheet, and then to divide up this length of sheetmetal into squares or oblong sections of the desired length and width.The edges of the long sheet are defective and defects sometimes occur aconsiderable distance within the ed e and sometimes along the middleportion of the sheet, and in dividing up the long lengths into sectionsthese defective portions must be avoided. In the merchantable shape thesheets vary in size both as regards length and width, and in dividing upthe long lengths into sections or small sheets it has heretofore beencustomary to have patterns made of wood of the desired dimensions toplace these patterns upon the long lengths and mark around them to givetheline of shear. This method is slow and cumbersome and the expense ofpatterns is considerable.

The object of the present invention is to provide mechanism formarkingthe sheet, such mechanism bein so constructed that either it can be runalong over a length of sheet while the latter is resting upon a suitablesupport, as a cold bed or a hot bed, or other platform, or the sheet canbe run under the marking mechanism by the feed table of the rolls.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved marking mechanism; Fig. 2 isa side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan. view, theplane of section being indicated by the line IIIIII Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is anend elevation, Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the markingmechanism, Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views of the same, the planes ofsection being indicated respectively by the lines VIVI and VII V11 Fig.5.

In the practice of my invention my improved mechanism 1s mounted upon asuitable frame consisting of longitudinal horizontal bars 1 and l 2, 2and horizontal transverse bars 3, 3 and 4, 4?, the longitudinal barsbeing connected by vertical osts 5 at the corners of the frame and prefdrably by intermediate posts or braces 6. In some cases the frame willbe arranged stationary relative to a suitable bed or support onto whichthe sheets are run and in other cases the frame will be adapted to movealong suitable rails on opposite sides of the sheet supporting bed. Inthe latter case the corner posts are. provided at their lower ends withsuitable bearings or boxes for the wheels 7, and provision is made fordriving the wheels at the front or rear ends, or both, by means of asuitable motor 8 mounted upon the frame and having its armature shaft 9intermeshing by suitable gearing, as a worm and Wheel, with the shaft 10having sprocket wheels 11 secured thereon. Drive chains 12 extend aroundthese sprocket wheels and around corresponding wheels 13 on the shaftsof the supporting wheels 8. By this means the frame can be quickly andeasily shifted back and forth as required along the entire length of asheet which is to be marked and cut.

In the construction shown the sheet support consists of rolls a whichmay be the rolls of a feed table for sheet or plate mills or other bedor table.

The marking devices are carried upon suitable "rails movably supportedon transverse bars of the frame so that such rails 15 can be shiftedrelatively to each other according to the desired width of sheet andalso together, so as to be placed at an angle to the length of the sheetto be marked. These rails 15 carry suitable marking devices which whenthe rails are lowered will traverse along the sheet and mark the samewith parallel lines. Provision is also made to impart to these markingdevices a movement which would give a distinguishing mark or indicationon the sheet, at the beginning of their marking movement and also at theend of such marking movement at the end of the traverse of the markers,the length of traverse being varied according to the length of sheetdesired.

While not limiting myself to the exact construction of parts hereinafterdescribed I have found the following combination well adapted. for thepurpose. The rails 15 are made of considerable width and of a lengthgreater than the length of the longest section to be marked. At theirends these "ails are provided with supporting rods 16 which engagemovable carriages mounted upon the transverse bars 3, 3. It will beobserved by reference to Fig. 3 that these carriages are provided withrollers 17 mounted upon the bars 3, 3 and have swiveled extensions 18preferably provided with friction rollers 19 to support the rodextensions 16 of the rails 15. This construction will allow a free andeasy longitudinal movement of the rails 15 as herein after described. Inorder to adjust the rails 15 relative to each other they are connectedby adjustable links 20 and 20' to nuts 21 and 21 and 22, 22, two of thenuts having right-handed internal threads and the other two left handedinternal threads engaging upon corresponding threaded portions of theshaft 23, so that by the rotation of the shaft the nuts 21, 21 will bemoved in one direction while the nuts 22 and 22 will be moved in theopposite direction, and by their movement will shift the rails 15 in orout an equal distance. By this construction the rails are maintained inparallelism with each other and are prevented from longitudinal movementrelative to each other. In order to rotate this shaft 23, it ispreferred to employ a suitable electric motor although other mechanismor means may be employed. for that purpose. In the construction shown,this motor is secured. upon a suitable bed extending over the rails 15which are movable under the bed. The bed is also preferably providedwith a bearing 25 for the shaft 23. The armature shaft of the motor isconnectedby a suitable gearing such as the worm and gear shown, with theshaft 23 so as to rotate the same in either direction as required. Theemployment of rails of a con siderable weight is desirable as they willhold the sheet flat upon its support, pressing out all the bends orwrinkles which may h ave been formed in the rolling of the sheet.

In order either to shift the marking mechanism relative to the sheet orthe latter relative to the marking mechanism provision is made forlifting the rails out of contact with the sheet after one markingoperation, and to this end the rails 3, 3 are secured to sleeves 27,movable up and down on the posts 5. In order to raise these bars 3, 3and with them the rails 15, the bars are connected to an elevatedportion of the frame by means of toggle links 28, and the pivot pinsconnecting these links are connected to ropes 29 passing around guidepulleys 30 and connected to a winding drum 31. The ropes from oppositeends of the mechanism are oppositely connected to the drum, so that whenthe drum is rotated the bars 3. 3 at both ends will be simultaneouslyraised or lowered. The drum is so located that it may be rotated fromthe cage 41 and is rotated by any suitable means,

as by a worm 32 engaging a gear 33 secured to the drum.

As heretofore stated it is necessary in dividing the long length ofsheet into sections to avoid defects in the sheet and the lines of shearmust be on lines at an angle to the length of the sheet to avoidexcessive waste. Hence provision is made for shifting the rails 15 to anangular position relatively to the length of the sheet. This isaccomplished as heretofore stated by mounting the supporting bars 16 ofthe rails upon carriages on bars 3, 3 and in order to shift thesecarriages and rails the shaft 23 or other suitable part is connected byropes 36 passing around guidepulleys 37 and 38 to drums 39 and 40,mounted in a suitable bearing on the cage 41 carried by the frame work.These drums are adapted to be shifted by any suitable means such forexample as the pivoted toothed segments 42 intermeshing with pinions 43on the sides of the drum. By moving these segments, one or both, theangular position of the rails 15 relative to the sheet can be changed asrequired. In order to yieldingly hold the rails in proper position inthe frame, cushioning springs 46 are ar ranged on the rod extensions 16between the ends of the rails 15 and the carriages carrying the same asshown in Fig.

In order to mark the sheets, carriages 50 are movably mounted upon therails 15 as shown in Fig. 2, such carriages being adapted to be shiftedin one direction by suitable powermechanism and in the opposite direction by spring drums 5],, to which the carriages are connected by asuitable rope. Any suitable power mechanism may be employed to shift thecarriages in. the opposite direction, as for example the toothed segment52 operating through suitable interposed gearing, a winding drum 53mounted on one of the rails. The shaft 54 of the drum extends across tothe other rail and has a drum 53 secured thereon so that it will rotatewith the shaft but can move along the same as the rails are shifted. Bythis construction the carriages 50 on both rails can be simultaneouslyshifted. To these carriages are connected spring arms 55 provided attheir outer ends with suitable heads or sockets 56 in which are placedthe marking pencils 57, adapted to be gradually forced out as used bymeans of springs Within the sockets. The spring arms are constructed tobe norm ally held in such position that the pencils will traverse alongthe lower edges of the rails acting as straight edges. Provision is madeat the starting point of the pencils to move the latter outward to givean indicating or starting mark. This is done by means of cam plates 58secured to the rails in such point and thereby mark an angular line onposition that the spring arms will movel along the same as they reachthe starting l the sheet. i justably mounted on the rails, so as to imlpart a similar movement to the pencils when i they have traversed thesheet a distance i equal to the desired length of the section. Theangular marks will indicate the line on which the sheet is to be cuttransversely.

I claim herein as my invention:

1. In a sheet marking mechanism the combination of means for supportingpencils or other marking devices, means for shifting such markingdevices towards and from each other, means for shifting the markingdevices longitudinal of the sheet, and means for imparting an angularmovement to the marking devices at suitable points in their traverse andwhile in contact with the surface to be marked.

2. In a machine for marking sheets, the combination of two rails oredges, means for adjusting such rails or edges towards and from eachother, marking devices movable along and guided by the rails or edgesand means for shifting such marking devices.

3. In a machine for marking sheets, the combination of rails or edges,adapted to be shifted simultaneously to an angular position relative tothe sheet to be marked, means for adjusting the rails towards and fromeach other, marking devices movable along and guided by the rails oredges and means for shifting the marking devices.

In a machine for marking sheets the combination of rails or edges, meansfor raising and lowering the rails or edges, means for adjusting therails or edges towards and from each other, marking devices movablealong and guided by the rails or edges and means for shifting suchmarking devices.

5. In a machine for marking sheetsthe combination of rails or edgeshaving their ends adjustably supported, means for shilt- I Similar camplates 59 are ading'the rails or edges towards and from each other,means for shifting the rails to an angular osition relative to the sheetto be markec marking devices movable along and guided by the rails oredges and means for shifting the marking devices.

6. In a sheet marking mechanism, the combination of rails or edges,means for moving the rails or edges towards and away from the sheet tobe marked, marking devices mounted on the rails or edges, and means forsimultaneously shifting such marking devices longitudinally of the railsor edges and in contact therewith.

7. In a machine for marking sheets the combination of rails or edges,marking devices movably mounted on the rails or edges, means forshifting the marking devices longitudinally of the rails or edges, andmeans for imparting an angular movement to the marking devices.

8. In a sheet marking mechanism, the combination of a sheet support,marking de vices, means for shifting the marking devices longitudinallyof the sheet support, and means for adjusting the marking devices sothat their lines of movement will be at an angle to the median of thesheet support.

9. In a sheet marking mechanism, the combination of rolls for thesupport for the sheet, guiding rails or edges, means for moving therails or edges towards and away from the sheet being marked, means forsupporting pencil or other marking devices movable along the rails oredges, means for adjusting the rails or edges toward and from eachother, and means for moving the marking devices along the rails or edgesand in contact therewith.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE JOSEPH GERIIARD'I.

Witnesses:

CHARLES BARNETT, J. HERBERT BRADLEY.

